capital
/kapiˈtal/feminine
The English phrase "capital city" is capital in Spanish.
The term capital is used to denote a city designated as the seat of government.
Meaning: city designated as seat of government (noun)
Which one should you use?
The gender of the word changes its meaning: la capital (feminine) refers to a capital city, whereas el capital (masculine) refers to financial capital or assets.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico and some Central American countries, the terms capitalino or capitalina are used to describe someone or something that originates from the capital city.
How does it change in a sentence?
capital is a feminine noun. The plural form is capitales.
How do you pronounce it?
/kapiˈtal/
Did you know?
- The word capital shares its root with the English word 'chapter', as both come from the Latin caput for 'head' or 'top'.
- Because capital shares a root with the Latin 'head', it is a linguistic relative of the English word 'captain', who is the 'head' of a ship or group.
- The word capital is a linguistic doublet of the word caudal, which means 'flow' or 'wealth', because both originate from the Latin word caput for 'head'.
Examples in context
- ¡Qué capital más tristona!That's a pretty sad-looking capital city.This sentence uses capital to describe the appearance of a capital city.Tatoeba #4553609 by swyter, translation #4549637 by mailohilohi
- Kiev es la capital de Ucrania.Kiev is Ukraine's capital city.This sentence uses capital to identify the capital of a country.Tatoeba #1416823 by marcelostockle, translation #1416825 by marcelostockle
- La capital de Francia es París.The capital city of France is Paris.This sentence uses capital to state the capital of a country.Tatoeba #1542402 by marcelostockle, translation #1657739 by CK
- La Ciudad de México es la ciudad capital de México.Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico.
- Buenos Aires es la capital nacional de Argentina.Buenos Aires is the national capital of Argentina.
- Madrid es la capital de España.Madrid is the capital of Spain.
- Caracas es la capital de un país fascinante llamado Venezuela.Caracas is the capital of a fascinating country called Venezuela.
- Los capitalinos aman su vibrante ciudad.Citizens of the capital city love their vibrant city.
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María are discussing their travel plans.
- Javier¿Cuál es la capital de este país?Which is the capital of this country?
- MaríaLa capital es una ciudad muy grande.The capital is a very large city.
- JavierMe gustaría visitar la capital pronto.I would like to visit the capital soon.
- MaríaEs una excelente idea, Javier.It is an excellent idea, Javier.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “capital city” translations and entries capital, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries capital, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
